1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to binding methods for books and, more particularly, to a binding apparatus and method for foam books which includes a cover sheet having a front cover page section, a rear cover page section and a spine section extending between and connecting the front and rear cover page sections, at least two center foam pages positioned between the front and rear cover pages, and at least two binding sheets, each of the center foam pages mounted on one of the binding sheets, the binding sheets connecting adjacent center foam pages and further connecting the center foam pages to the inner surfaces of the front and rear cover page sections such that the pages are secured to one another and to the cover sheet to securely bind the book.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many different kinds of books and bookbindings which are currently used in the publishing industry. While the majority books are constructed of paper and paper products, there are many types of children's books which are constructed of different materials such as cloth, foam or the like, in order to provide additional tactile sensations for the children reading the books. Currently, it is becoming popular to manufacture children's books from thin plates of foam which constitute the pages and front and rear covers. These are bound in various types of ways such as by gluing the pages to one another, stapling the pages or binding them with a loom as is done with paper-paged books. Each of these binding methods includes inherent defects, however, such as that books bound with staples will become rusty and eroded when exposed to water, those bound with a loom will wear out due to the construction method and materials and books bound with glue tend to not last very long when used by children due to the intensity of the use to which they are subjected. There is therefore a need for an improved book construction for children's foam books which will overcome many of the deficiencies found in the prior art.
Bookbinding generally has three popular types that have been used for a long time are: (1) Bookbinding by sewing/gluing is taking the book to be sewn by the equipment so called sewing by cord. After that the book spine is glued, the sewn pages are attached to the cover; (2) Bookbinding by the spine planing-gluing is to plane the sheets with a planing knife so the book spine can be serrated (for the glue can be applied as much as possible and glued to the cover); and (3) Bookbinding by stitching the roof is stitching the sheets to the covers using staples. While each of these prior art methods and devices will bind the pages of the book together, none of them fully addresses and solves the deficiencies inherent in the prior art, specifically that spine-connecting binding methods will quickly wear out and result in pages of text being lost.
It is therefore a object of the present invention to provide a foam book having an improved binding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam book with an improved binding which will substantially increase the durability and longevity of the book.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam book having an improved binding in which the pages of the book are connected to one another by a series of connected foam plates to which the thicker pages of the book are attached.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam book having an improved binding in which the foam plates are approximately twice the width of the attached pages so that the foam plates can be securely adhered to the pages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam book having an improved binding which will permit a virtually unlimited number of pages to be bound together without sacrificing the binder strength and longevity.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved foam book with an improved binding which is relatively simple to manufacture and is safe and durable in use.